Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX),
a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, can celebrate two
victories Wednesday. Mr. Paul is tied with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
for 2nd place at the national level among Republicans and Independents, according
to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Mr. Paul and Mr. Gingrich pulled in
17 percent of the votes each, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
garnered 29 percent of the votes.

The results of the Reuters/Ipsos poll were released prior to Mr.
Paul’s 2nd place finish in the New Hampshire Primary. Whether Mr. Paul’s strong
finish on Tuesday night will impact his standing in South Carolina or at the
national level will be revealed in the coming days.

The results of the Reuters/Ipsos poll are a major victory for
Mr. Paul, as the Texas congressman has jumped 5 percentage points since Ipsos
Public Affairs last conducted a GOP poll between December 8th and December
12th. On the other hand, the results of the Reuters/Ipsos poll are somewhat
troubling for Mr. Gingrich. The Georgia Republican’s support has dipped 8
percentage points among Republicans and Independents.

Mr. Romney has benefited from Mr. Gingrich’s fall from the top.
The former Massachusetts governor has surged 11 percentage points in one month.
After securing a strong second place finish in the Iowa Caucuses, former
Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has risen 8 percentage points.

Mr.
Romney won the New Hampshire Primary Tuesday night. With nearly 100 percent of
the voting precincts reporting, the Bain Capital co-founder has pulled in 39.3
percent of the votes, according to data from The Associated Press. Mr. Paul
grabbed 2nd place in the New Hampshire Primary and former Utah Governor Jon
Huntsman earned a 3rd place finish. Mr. Paul has garnered 22.8 percent of the
votes and Mr. Huntsman has received 16.9 percent of the votes.

The Paul campaign offered its take on the results of the New
Hampshire Primary: “When added to Paul’s top-tier showing in Iowa, it’s clear
he is the sole Republican candidate who can take on and defeat both Mitt Romney
and Barack Obama,” Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton said
in a press release.

Ipsos Public Affairs surveyed 414 Republicans and 119 Independents
from January 5th through January 9th. The poll has a margin of error of plus or
minus 4.7 percent for Republicans and plus or minus 9.0 percent for
Independents.